Process for constructing bolster.



A. L. HASTINGS.

PROCESS FOR GONSTRUCTING BOLSTERS.

APPi-IGATION FILED JAN.20, 1912.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

&

PATENT OFFICE.

ALO'NZO L. HASTINGS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS FOR CONSTRUCTING BOLSTERS.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-Nov. 4, 1913.

Application filed January 20, 1912. Serial No. 672,272.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo L. HASTINGS, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Constructing Bolsters, of which the following is a full, clear, and precise specification.

My invention relates to bolsters for railway trucks, particularly to an improved process for producing such bolsters.

Some of the bolsters of the prior art are formed more or less integral by ordinary casting processes, and in other cases the bolster has been built up of rolled iron or steel parts or has constituted a combination of iron or steel parts and cast parts. Castings are always more or less unreliable and consequently ineflicient on account of blow holes and other flaws which are likely to occur. In built up structt res considerable time is consumed in securing the various parts together, and the construction of the bolster is therefore more or less costly. Where the bolster is built up of a number of parts, rivets and bolts are sometimes used which are apt to work loose.

The important object of my invention is to provide an improved process for producing bolsters, such process involving the formation of the bolsters by drop forging suitable metal in a series of dies, the metal being preferably received in the first set of mold members direct from the melting crucible, and then treated in dies which are so constructed that the metal of the bolster can be compressed and worked transversely into uniform consistency of great strengtln The finished bolster of my construction is a single piece of metal having substantially the qualities of rolled steel and ,is entirely free from such defects as blow holes, which are always likely to occur where the ordinary casting process is used. The bolster formed in accordance with my process is also very much lighter and much stronger than the heavy bolsters formed by ordinary castmg.

My improved its production are clearly illustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the finished bolster, Fig. 2 is a top view thereof, Fig. 3 is an end view, Fig. 4; is a sectional view taken from plane M, Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken from plane 5-5,

bolster and the manner of Fig. 1': and Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken through upper and lower mold members and showing the embryo form therein looking 10m a plane corresponding to plane 1% in The finished structure comprises upper and lower longitudinal walls 10 and 11 whose section is substantially T-shaped similar to that of a T-beam, the central web stubs 12 serving to strengthen these walls. The opposite ends of the walls are connected together'by webs 13, which webs form a con tinuation of the web stubs 12 on the walls. At each end are also transverse vertical walls or webs 14 and 15, these walls, together with the webs 13, forming like structures between the ends of the upper and lower walls 10 and 11. The sections 10 of the upper wall deflect downwardly a trifle, and the central portion 10 is horizontal. The sections 11 of the lower wall deflect upwardly, and the central section 11" is horizontal. Connecting between the central sect-ionslO andll" is a strut or standard 16 of circular cross-section and whose diameter increases gradually upwardly and downwardly from thecentral part thereof. On the middle section 10 of the top wall and concentric with the strut 16 is the annular flange 17 encircling the hub 18, the annular pocket 19 extending between the hub and the, flange. The strut 16, together with the flange, hub and the pocket, serves to receive the king bolt mechanism on the body bolster secured to the car with which the bolster will be associated, the hub and the strut be-. ing drilled axially at 20 to receive the king bolt. To prevent accumulation of dirt in the bottom of the king bolt bore the strut has the transverse channel 21 communicating at its center with the lower end of the bore, so that any surplus grease, dirt or foreign particles may fall from the bore into the channel and thence to the exterior. In order to further strengthen the strut, webs or ribs 22 are provided on the sides thereof continuouswith the webs 12 of the upper and lower walls. On each upper wall section 10 is a block 23 forming a foundation for side bearing mechanism.

The end sections 10 and 11 of the upper and lower walls 10 and 11 are of slightly increased Width, and the ends 11 extend outwardly a distance beyond the upper sections 10, so that there will be ample hearing surface for springs which extend belight yet strong box- 7 molten metal can tensile strength.

the die members tween the ends 11 when the bolster is frames of the truck. 14: and 15 connecting 10 and 11 sections to term abutment ridges .14 and 15 applied to the side bet-ween the sections for receiving between them the faces of the column guides on the side frames of the true I, these ridges engaging the side edges oat the column guides and the edges of the sections 10 and 11 engaging :against the faces of the column guides, this cooperation being Well understood in the art. The particular shape and construction of the con- 18 and 19 and of the side bearing blocks 23 will of "course depend upon the particular style of center bearing mechanism and side bearing mechanism :on the car body bolster with which the bolster is to be associated. Likewise, the detail sconstruction of the transverse walls 14 and '15 and the ridges l4 "and 15" will depend upon the particular style :of side frames of the truck with which the bol-s'ter is to be associated.

Coming now to the process -for producing the single piece metal bolster above described, Fig. 6 illustrates substantially the initial step in the formation process. Mold members it and Z are suitably'formed so that be run therein :direct itrom a crucible to form :an embryo bolster frame which has substantially the same outlines as the finished bolster, but in which the walls are transversely wider and longitudinally thinner than in the finished structure. At ter the poured metal becomes :sufliciently :cooled to be self-supporting, the embryo form is placed between die members and is compressed transversely and increased in thickness to substantially the :final form, this transverse compression :and working causing the metal to become homogeneous and of uniform consistency and of great After such die treatment the .frame, although of substantially ifinal shape, has burs and jagged ends thereon formed by the metal squeezing out between duringcompression. This frame, it not suflicientl-y hot, is resheated and then treated in .a second set of die members to be pressed and worked :and trimmed and finished ofl to the sfinal form.

and the spring plank The transverse walls project beyond the sides of the After the die treatment the bolster structure does not have the bearing pocket 19 nor the bolster bore 20 nor the transverse channel .21. The pocket 19 and bore 20 may be formed in suitable machines, and the channel 21 may be punched into the strut 16 while the form is still hot after leaving the dies.

I thus produce a complete bolster structure in the form of a single piece drop forging in which the metal, due to the compression :and working in the various dies, has substantially the same uniformity and consistency as the metal in rolled structures, there being no blow holes, flaws or other weaknesses. No metal is wasted, and the finished structure is very light yet possesses very great strength. Substantially the same structure and process disclosed .above can be applied to the car body bolster which is secured. to the car body. On this car body bolster, instead of having the side bearing blocks and the center bearing parts on the upper wall, these parts will be on the lower wall to cooperate with the side bearing blocks and :centerbear-ing parts on the truck bolster. The top wall of the car body bolster will of'conrse be flat to intimately engage wlith the car floor.

I claim as follows:

The process of constructing bolsters for railway trucks, which consists in pouring molten metal direct from the crucible between mold members :to produce an embryo bolster structure whose walls are of greater width and less thickness than'in the finished structure, .then subjecting this embryo structure to die treatment and during such treat- ;ment working and compressing the walls itransversely 0f :the structure to bring the walls to substantially the same width and thickness as -'in the ifinished structure, "then :subjecting such structure-to a final .die treatment to bring the walls to finished width and thickness and to trim of? the edges of said walls.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe :my name this 18th day of January, A. D., 1912. Y

ALONZO L. HASTINGS. lVitnesses:

CHARLES J. SCHMIDT, NELLIE B. DEARBORN.

Copies of this patent maybe nbta'i'ned for five "cents each, by "addressing the commissioner of =Patents,

. 'Washington, 1).02 

